Happening On The Homestead

It’s been over a month since I last blogged and the simple reason for that is…. I burned out and I got sick.

Between working a full time job six days a week, putting something in jars (canning) almost every night till late (sometimes till early morning), helping the Z Man take care of our homestead and all the animals, it just all caught up with me and I came crashing down. I went to the doctor because I wasn’t feeling good then came home and went to bed and slept for two days, then I got up and laid on the sofa for three days.

A couple of weeks later and after a few more visits with my doctor, I’m feeling better, but still not 100%.

Time for some soul searching into what’s most important for us and weed out the rest. I get so caught up in an idea or a project I want and it’s 100 miles an hour until it’s done. The thing is that sometimes it’s never done. I want more and more and more….

I have to admit that during this time, my diet was awful, just grabbing something here and there and grabbing all the wrong stuff. This is one of the main reasons I got sick. For someone who is six months coming off of Prilosec after having taken it for over 20 years, I can not neglect my diet.

The discomfort of my reflux and indigestion had become so bad that I went to urgent care thinking I was having a heart attack. The EKG was normal, and the bariatric cocktail the doctor gave me to drink worked, and I am feeling much better, about 90% better.

But it’s time to slow down and get back to taking better care of myself, eating better, working less and Yoga begins this week.

In the meantime, here is what’s been happening on our little homestead.

Our beautiful Maddie delivered 6 perfect little puppies, three girls and three boys.

I was there with her while she was delivering and it was amazing. She is such a good mama.

They are growing so fast. I mean is this just not cuteness overload?

We got three new chickens. Three Leghorn hens and they lay white eggs.

I kind of like getting white and brown eggs.

We harvested three of our older hens, which was the first time for the Z Man and I to do that. I don’t have pictures, but it went very well and peaceful.

Back when I quit smoking on January 4th I started saving my weekly cigarette money. By saving the money specifically for a “treat” for the accomplishment of quitting it not only motivated me to get through the cravings and over the habit of smoking, it gave me something to look forward to as well.

So, the Z Man and I had a little fun with my quit smoking money…

We went to the Redskins season opener against Pittsburgh. I am a Redskins fan and the Z Man is a Pittsburgh fan, so it was perfect that this year they were playing each other. Unfortunately, it didn’t end well for my Redskins.

It’s amazing to me that by quitting smoking I was able to pay for a little mini vacation for us. Now, that’s some good motivations right there.

So, that’s whats been going on around here. I’ve really missed blogging, but I’ll be talking to you soon 😉

Till next time,

Lori

Day 10 – No Prilosec – Update

I’m not proud to admit this, but to be thorough with this process, all needs to be noted which includes the good, the bad and the ugly of it.

Last night I had a bit of a melt down and was really having a pity party for myself.

See today is the 10th day of not taking prilosec (omeprazole) and for the past 7 days I have been experiencing some considerable discomfort with heartburn and reflux. It’s not constant, but it’s pretty typical after any meal I eat.

With this has come a bit of depression and I recognize it, but recognizing it doesn’t make me able to ignore it. This depression has caused me to be a bit of a short fuse.

The depression stems from constantly worrying about what I can eat, and how it will affect me causing pain or not. Like I said in a different post, when I was taking the prilosec I could eat or drink anything I wanted and it didn’t affect me. Just take a pill and it will be all better. This includes wine. I have come to realize that I simple can not drink wine, and as shallow as this sound I’m a bit sad over it.

The Z Man encouraged me last night not to give up and to do more research, to keep on keeping on. Which is so incredibly generous of him because he is the one who suffers the most from my mood swings and frustration.

The potato soup and cornbread I made for dinner last night was a lovely meal, but even the small portion that I ate caused me great discomfort. I suppose it was the onions in the soup.

I went back to my natural foods store this morning and got very lucky because there was a representative there who knew a lot about the subject of the PPIs drugs (prilosec, nexium, omeprazole) and was able to share some information with me as far as diet including bone broth (which I happened to bring with me for lunch today)

We went over everything I’m currently taking and he was in full agreement with all of them, however he suggested that I’m just not taking enough of them. So I will increase the doses of my current supplement regimen which you can read about here.

Sometimes, like last night I needed something for fast relief of heartburn and reflux, so I picked this up at the natural foods store this morning too.

I know I’m on the right path, and I know it will get better in time, I’m just being a bit impatient. For so long I was able to eat and drink anything I wanted and now (at least for right now) I’m not able to do that.

But I will keep on keeping on. 30 days of increasing the supplements and a stricter diet. Here we go!

What’s Cooking 5/18/16?

Breakfast: bone broth (homemade – chicken)
Lunch: same as lunch – bone broth
Dinner: same as lunch and breakfast – bone broth

I’m taking a break today from food, giving my digestive system a rest. And guess what, so far no heartburn or reflux.

Have a great day,

Till Next Time,

Lori

Day Three – No Prilosec

For more than 20 years I’ve taken prilosec (or the generic, omeprazole). I was prescribed the medicine when I went to the doctor for stomach pain. He suggested that it could be stomach ulcers and ordered some upper GI testing. Back then you drank this horrible thick pink liquid and then lay face down on a table that tilted you back and forth like a lava lamp. It was a very awkward procedure to say the least.

Thankfully no ulcers were found, but the pain persisted so we continued with the testing and finally found that my gal bladder was full of stones and needed to be removed.

After having my gal bladder removed I tried to stop the prilosec but by then it was in my system and trying to stop it caused terrible reflux and heartburn. It was easier just to stay on it and the doctor agreed. Remember this was more than 20 years ago…

Fast forward to today and I am on my third day of not taking prilosec.

It’s been seven weeks since I began this process of weaning myself off the drug.

I started this process after going to the doctor a few months ago for stomach pain. Ironic huh 🙂 My doctor wanted to run some test but I couldn’t be seen by the specialist for about six months and in the mean time “we could up the dose of prilosec if I wanted to” That’s when I made the decision to look into options for myself and do what I could on my own.

Last week was the last step down dose of the prilosec of each week removing 25 of the 200 little balls in a 40mg omeprazole (generic prilosec) capsule. I have spoken to other people with the same dosage but their capsules have only 36 little balls. They made the decision to reduce it by 6 little balls each week.

Side note: I have to admit that I chuckle a little bit every time I type “little balls” It’s just funny. Yes I’m 12 years old. 🙂

Anyway…. I have had some moderate discomfort with heartburn and a couple instances of reflux, but in total disclosure I have to admit that I’ve been a little bad in regards to my diet (pizza and wine) and lets go ahead and add portion control to the mix too, all of which is probably more the cause of my discomfort instead of the absence of the medicine.

I’ve also decided to add probiotic to may daily regimen. Following is a list of the supplements I’m taking now and I’ve included some information on all of them from Dr. Amy Myers with mindbodygreen.

Probiotics
Our gut is full of “good”and friendly bacteria that help us properly break down and digest our food. They help keep our gut in check and prevent ‘bad’ bacteria from overgrowth. Unfortunately, these friendly bacteria can be depleted and disrupted by taking antibiotics, steroids, acid-blocking medications, eating a poor diet, and many other factors. Taking a highly concentrated dose (25-100 billion units a day) of probiotics on a daily basis can help you regain a healthy balance of bacteria in your gut.

L-Glutamine
L-Glutamine is an amino acid that is fundamental to the well-being of the digestive and immune systems. Glutamine is great for repairing damage to the gut, helping the gut lining to regrow and repair, undoing the damage caused by leaky gut, and reducing sugar cravings. I recommend 3-5 grams a day.

Digestive Enzymes
Digestive enzymes are plant or microbial-based supplements that support the breakdown, absorption, and utilization of macronutrients. Taken with meals, they work with the body’s own reduced supply of enzymes to achieve maximum digestion and support intestinal repair mechanisms.

Slippery Elm
It might have kind of a strange name, but slippery elm has been used as an effective gut healer for centuries in the United States. This supplement both contains mucilage and stimulates nerve endings in the body’s intestinal tract to increase natural mucus secretion, which is an instrumental part of the stomach’s protective lining and helps combat ulcers and excessive acidity in the digestive system. It also contains important antioxidants that help relieve inflammatory bowel symptoms.

Deglycyrrhizinated Licorice (DGL)
DGL is an herb that has been used for over 3,000 years in the treatment of digestive issues including ulcers and indigestion. It’s made from whole licorice, but the manufacturing process includes the removal of glycyrrhizin, which can cause an elevation in blood pressure. DGL supports the body’s natural processes for maintaining the mucosal lining of the stomach and duodenum.

Like I said before, this will be a lifetime process of being aware of my diet and the triggers that cause discomfort. Also managing portion control, properly chewing my food and not eating two hours before bedtime.

These are things I should have been doing all along and I suppose we can chalk that up to being another side effect of the PPI drugs. Being able to over eat and basically eat anything I wanted because I could just take a pill for any discomfort it caused me. Think about that for a minute. How crazy is that?

It makes me wonder if there was a pill that cured cancer how many people would start smoking (again).

Now that I’ve had to pay attention to the foods I eat and when I eat them I have learned that if I start my day on the “right track” then the rest of the day goes well. The “right track” for me is a breakfast of mostly protein and very little, if any grains. Luckily we are blessed daily by our chickens with fresh eggs and I have a freezer full of sausage and bacon from our hogs. Cereal, over night oats and muffins for breakfast are out (for now anyway).

The most important factor about dinner is timing and portion control. I try very hard to make sure that dinner is finished at least 2 hours before bedtime and I also make sure that my portions are in check by using a salad plate as my dinner plate. I also drink very little fluids with dinner usually just sipping on some water.

This is my plan for the next 30 days… Now that I’ve stopped the prilosec I will continue the L-Glutamine and probiotics in the mornings, DGL licorice before meals, digestive enzymes after meals and slippery elm as needed.

The anxiety… I’ve said that this process hasn’t been that difficult, and I’m proud of myself for doing it the right way and including the supplements allowing me to wean off the drugs and heal my gut at the same time. What I haven’t talked about in my blogs is the anxiety associated with it. If you’ve taken any of these PPI medications, then you know how effective they are in preventing heart burn and reflux. And I’m betting you also know how painful the heartburn and reflux can be when you miss a dose. It can be excruciating! I don’t know one person who isn’t to some degree afraid of pain. This is what can cause the anxiety. I’ve asked the Z Man many times… what if it doesn’t work… what if I make it worse…. what if I can’t do it… what if……

This is where I need to say Thank You to the Z Man for his support and encouragement through this. Thank You My Love! 🙂

While I was worried about the possible discomfort and pain, what’s worse is the fear of the terribly damaging side effects of these drugs that made me want to finish this.

I’m sorry this post got so long and I want to thank you for letting me share my experience with you, it has inspired me to do the research, to learn more and to make better choices for us. Thank you! 🙂

Have a great day,

Till Next Time,

Lori

Friday’s Frugal Five

It’s been a busy week, but it seems like it flew by. I wish I had some earth shattering frugal tips for you today. Sometimes it’s hard to remember the frugal things to post about because they are so routine for us. Things like using the clothes line to dry clothes or taking leftovers to work for lunches.

But I’ll say it again, it’s the little frugal things that add up and over time they just become the normal way of doing things.

Five Frugal Things:

This week the Z Man and I celebrated our anniversary. A long time ago we decided that our food is better than most restaurants we’ve been to so very seldom to we ever go out for a meal. We started a tradition for our anniversary celebrations to include BLT sandwiches and carrot cake. When you have bacon like we have, a BLT sandwich feels like a special meal. Our wedding cake was a carrot cake, so each year we have carrot cake for our anniversary.

I made a weeks worth of salad in a jar for our lunches. During the busy months at work our dinners become more simple like sandwiches or something grilled which often doesn’t allow for leftovers. I love salad in a jar and I’m a firm believer that is saves money and prevents waste when making all the salads at one time. How many times have you bought salad ingredients only to find they got pushed to the back of the fridge, finding them days later in need of Viagra and on its way to the compost pile? That doesn’t happen with salad in a jar because you make them all at one time. It’s a great healthy grab and go meal.

I fell into a frumpy mood this week feeling that I needed to look better, more styled, more modern, prettier. Fortunately some of my frugal friends gave me a little boost of encouragement helping me realize that I need to just keep taking care of myself (not smoking, eating better and quitting the omeprazole) and let the rest of those (not good enough, negative) feelings go. More on this later… lets just say for now I didn’t spend the $500 or so dollars it would’ve cost to (supposedly) feel better about myself.

Yesterday was cinco de mayo so we had taco salads for dinner because I had leftover meat and beans from the quesadillas we had on Wednesday so it was mexican two evenings in a row. The funny thing is that we had BLTs on both Monday and Tuesday evenings. No waste = frugal. The Z Man is so easy going with my dinner plans, he is always happy no matter what I serve. As long as its good food it doesn’t really matter to him what it is. That makes meal planning so much easier. Luckiest woman in the world I tell ya.

I completely failed to track my grocery spending for April. I will go back and tally the receipts when I get time, but lesson learned because I’m sure I spent more because I didn’t track it. So far for the month of May I’ve spent $14.57. I want to stay as close to my $20 a week ($100 a month) budget as possible. Now that I’m buying more local and organic foods it is a bit more expensive, but I’m just fine with the extra cost. I would rather pay for it now than pay for it later with my health. Tracking spending = frugal.

What frugal fun did you have this week?

Have a great day!

Till Next time,

Lori